Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck will be visiting Prague and Vienna over the next two days for talks which will focus on closer bilateral and European cooperation on gas supply security. Further topics include the repercussions of Russia’s war of aggression in energy, economic and social terms, and climate, industrial and trade policies.

Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck said: "In the current energy crisis, European solidarity is more important than ever. This includes closer coordination and cooperation between direct neighbours. Russia will not succeed in dividing Europe. In fact, the opposite is true: we are working even harder together to overcome our dependence on Russian fuels as soon as possible. Accelerating the energy transition and speeding up the expansion of renewable energy, energy saving and the ramp-up of green hydrogen are the right answers to Russia’s aggression and to the need to lastingly strengthen energy security and resilience throughout Europe. We are of course increasingly worried about the fact that Russia is using gas supply as a political weapon with the aim of driving up prices, sowing uncertainty in the markets, and causing chaos. We therefore need to act in solidarity and close coordination if the situation becomes even worse. This is exactly what I am going to talk about with my Czech and Austrian counterparts today and tomorrow."

In Prague, Federal Minister Habeck will be meeting with Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Jozef Síkela. The two ministers will also exchange views on the priorities set by the Czech presidency of the Council of the EU for the coming six months, including the issue of energy security. Afterwards, Minister Habeck and his counterpart will be visiting a Czech electricity grid operator and talking with representatives of energy companies. In the afternoon, Minister Habeck will be visiting the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics (CIIRC), including the National Centre for Industry 4.0 (NCI40).

In Vienna, Federal Minister Habeck will be holding talks with Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, Vice-Chancellor Werner Kogler, Federal Minister for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology Leonore Gewessler, Federal Minister for the EU and Constitution Karoline Edtstadler, and Federal Minister of Labour and Economy Martin Kocher. These talks will also focus on energy security and close coordination and cooperation between the two countries. Federal Minister Habeck will also be visiting one of the most powerful large-scale heat pumps in central Europe together with Vice-Chancellor Kogler and Federal Minister Gewessler.